Hospitality Administration/Management: is this associate's degree worth it?
National picture across 36 reporting college programs.
MODELED SCENARIO · Negative payoff
−$154,061 over 10 years
National scenario across reporting associate's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 2-year duration.
At these assumptions, the estimated earnings premium does not recover the modeled economic investment within ten years.
—Modeled economic break-even
−138%Modeled 10-year ROI
$40,788Observed earnings · year 4
Observed national outcomes
$40,788Median reported earnings · year 4
$33,715Average reported earnings · year 5
$17,450Median federal debt
26thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential
36Reporting programs
34With year-4 earnings
The same field can produce a different equation.
Keep the federal field fixed and compare observed outcomes at every reportable credential level. These are separate graduate cohorts—not a promise that more schooling causes the difference.
OPEN PROFILE
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
- Year-4 earnings
- $49,976
- Federal debt
- $17,715
- Reporting programs
- 16
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $40,788
- Federal debt
- $17,450
- Reporting programs
- 36
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $55,790
- Federal debt
- $23,995
- Reporting programs
- 145
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $79,799
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 12
Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)
- Year-4 earnings
- $53,606
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 1
Where the middle half of programs lands
Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.
Median
25th percentile$38,163National median$40,78875th percentile$45,558
34 programs report year‑4 earnings.See the spread, not just the national number.
1Colorado Mountain College$66,5002Scottsdale Community College$60,7683Madison Area Technical College$51,2794Bunker Hill Community College$48,6565CUNY New York City College of Technology$48,4936Kapiolani Community College$47,5317Valencia College$46,6398Holyoke Community College$46,1869Bergen Community College$45,55810Hillsborough College$45,138Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Related occupations
Official CIP–SOC links add career context without claiming that every graduate enters the same job.
Food Service ManagersSOC 11-9051 · 6 crosswalk linksLodging ManagersSOC 11-9081 · 6 crosswalk linksEntertainment and Recreation Managers, Except GamblingSOC 11-9072 · 2 crosswalk linksManagers, All OtherSOC 11-9199 · 2 crosswalk linksPersonal Service Managers, All OtherSOC 11-9179 · 2 crosswalk linksBusiness Operations Specialists, All OtherSOC 13-1199 · 1 crosswalk linksBusiness Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1011 · 1 crosswalk linksFacilities ManagersSOC 11-3013 · 1 crosswalk linksFirst-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services WorkersSOC 39-1013 · 1 crosswalk linksGambling ManagersSOC 11-9071 · 1 crosswalk linksMeeting, Convention, and Event PlannersSOC 13-1121 · 1 crosswalk linksTravel GuidesSOC 39-7012 · 1 crosswalk links
Same degree, different outcomes
Compare reported outcomes using the same federal field and credential. ROI uses each institution’s average net price as a scenario—not an individual aid offer.
| # | College | Location | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 10-year ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colorado Mountain CollegeAssociate's Degree | Glenwood Springs, CO | $66,500 | Not available | +104% | Strong payoff |
| 2 | Scottsdale Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Scottsdale, AZ | $60,768 | Not available | +35% | Positive payoff |
| 3 | Madison Area Technical CollegeAssociate's Degree | Madison, WI | $51,279 | Not available | -47% | Negative payoff |
| 4 | Bunker Hill Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Boston, MA | $48,656 | Not available | -65% | Negative payoff |
| 5 | CUNY New York City College of TechnologyAssociate's Degree | Brooklyn, NY | $48,493 | Not available | -65% | Negative payoff |
| 6 | Kapiolani Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Honolulu, HI | $47,531 | Not available | -75% | Negative payoff |
| 7 | Valencia CollegeAssociate's Degree | Orlando, FL | $46,639 | $14,433 | -86% | Negative payoff |
| 8 | Holyoke Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Holyoke, MA | $46,186 | Not available | -89% | Negative payoff |
| 9 | Bergen Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Paramus, NJ | $45,558 | Not available | -95% | Negative payoff |
| 10 | Hillsborough CollegeAssociate's Degree | Tampa, FL | $45,138 | Not available | -99% | Negative payoff |
| 11 | Columbus State Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Columbus, OH | $43,944 | Not available | -110% | Negative payoff |
| 12 | College of Southern NevadaAssociate's Degree | Las Vegas, NV | $43,501 | $17,450 | -115% | Negative payoff |
| 13 | CUNY Kingsborough Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Brooklyn, NY | $43,033 | Not available | -119% | Negative payoff |
| 14 | CUNY LaGuardia Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Long Island City, NY | $41,722 | $5,461 | -132% | Negative payoff |
| 15 | Walnut Hill CollegeAssociate's Degree | Philadelphia, PA | $40,896 | $17,000 | -127% | Negative payoff |
| 16 | Bryant & Stratton College-Syracuse NorthAssociate's Degree | Liverpool, NY | $40,680 | $26,508 | -136% | Negative payoff |
| 17 | Bryant & Stratton College-BuffaloAssociate's Degree | Buffalo, NY | $40,680 | $26,508 | -137% | Negative payoff |
| 18 | Bryant & Stratton College-Virginia BeachAssociate's Degree | Virginia Beach, VA | $40,680 | $26,508 | -138% | Negative payoff |
| 19 | Bryant & Stratton College-WauwatosaAssociate's Degree | Wauwatosa, WI | $40,680 | $26,508 | -136% | Negative payoff |
| 20 | Bryant & Stratton College-OnlineAssociate's Degree | Orchard Park, NY | $40,680 | $26,508 | -136% | Negative payoff |
| 21 | Rockland Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Suffern, NY | $40,658 | Not available | -139% | Negative payoff |
| 22 | Northampton County Area Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Bethlehem, PA | $39,251 | Not available | -150% | Negative payoff |
| 23 | Sullivan UniversityAssociate's Degree | Louisville, KY | $38,420 | $18,220 | -147% | Negative payoff |
| 24 | Monroe UniversityAssociate's Degree | Bronx, NY | $38,163 | $18,500 | -157% | Negative payoff |
| 25 | Ivy Tech Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Indianapolis, IN | $37,801 | $16,500 | -169% | Negative payoff |
| 26 | College of DuPageAssociate's Degree | Glen Ellyn, IL | $36,946 | Not available | -177% | Negative payoff |
| 27 | Palm Beach State CollegeAssociate's Degree | Lake Worth, FL | $36,364 | Not available | -180% | Negative payoff |
| 28 | University of Phoenix-ArizonaAssociate's Degree | Phoenix, AZ | $36,169 | Not available | -175% | Negative payoff |
| 29 | Daytona State CollegeAssociate's Degree | Daytona Beach, FL | $35,413 | Not available | -192% | Negative payoff |
| 30 | Monroe Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Rochester, NY | $35,311 | $12,375 | -194% | Negative payoff |
| 31 | Niagara County Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Sanborn, NY | $30,601 | Not available | -239% | Negative payoff |
| 32 | Vet Tech Institute of IndianaAssociate's Degree | Indianapolis, IN | Not available | $11,364 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $16,045 |
| 33 | Austin Community College DistrictAssociate's Degree | Austin, TX | Not available | $15,513 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $6,390 |
| 34 | Stratford UniversityAssociate's Degree | , | $49,482 | $49,356 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | Not available |
| 35 | Pittsburgh Technical CollegeAssociate's Degree | , | $44,398 | $15,505 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | Not available |
| 36 | Long Island Business InstituteAssociate's Degree | , | $34,654 | Not available | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | Not available |
This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.